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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22901674">Twenty Four Hours</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/emperoxgrayland/pseuds/emperoxgrayland'>emperoxgrayland</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, F/M, Strangers On A Road To Nowhere, free form</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:53:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,619</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22901674</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/emperoxgrayland/pseuds/emperoxgrayland</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Hi I'm Ben."</p><p>"Rey."</p><p>Scene. A train. A plane. A bus. Whichever works. Whichever is more nostalgic for you.</p><p>A man. Tall. In plaid. All leg, with his heart on his sleeve.</p><p>A prince. Hair waving perfectly around a handsome face - in the original sense of the word. Not the blonde, blue eyes gods. Byronian. Dark. Eyes of honeyed rum that speaks more than it should.</p><p>A woman. Who understood that language that eyes who was a different person in a different life spoke. </p><p>A warrior. Beautiful. Incandescent. Hair in buns, face bare of make up. Thick socks on her slippered feet, tucked into his seat.</p><p>Strangers. On a train. A plane. A bus. Whichever works. Whichever is more nostalgic for you.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Twenty Four Hours</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hi I'm Ben."</p><p>"Rey."</p><p>Scene. A train. A plane. A bus. Whichever works. Whichever is more nostalgic for you.</p><p>A man. Tall. In plaid. All leg, with his heart on his sleeve.</p><p>A prince. Hair waving perfectly around a handsome face - in the original sense of the word. Not the blonde, blue eyes gods. Byronian. Dark. Eyes of honeyed rum that speaks more than it should.</p><p>A woman. Who understood that language that eyes who was a different person in a different life spoke. </p><p>A warrior. Beautiful. Incandescent. Hair in buns, face bare of make up. Thick socks on her slippered feet, tucked into his seat.</p><p>Strangers. On a train. A plane. A bus. Whichever works. Whichever is more nostalgic for you.</p><p>---</p><p>"Why are you here, Ben?"</p><p>"To go somewhere."</p><p>A scoff. Makes her beautiful face, all lips and teeth when she smiles, her green eyes vanishing in the crinkle of her smile. </p><p>"No one takes this junk heap to go somewhere."</p><p>"And why are you here then?"</p><p>"Because I wish to go nowhere."</p><p>A smile. Makes his surly face brighten. Sunshine peeking through the storm. </p><p>"Then let's go nowhere together, Rey."</p><p>---</p><p>One hour. </p><p>He on a book. </p><p>Her trying to be. </p><p>A head. </p><p>On a shoulder.</p><p>Warmth through the cold. </p><p>"Rey?"</p><p>"I'm bored."</p><p>"You have a phone, and iPad, free wifi and Camus in your backpocket."</p><p>"I feel like I've known you before."</p><p>A book closes. </p><p>A cheek.</p><p>On a head.</p><p>A smile on her face. </p><p>"It's a dangerous game, sweetheart."</p><p>"You won't hurt me, Ben."</p><p>---</p><p>Two hours.</p><p>A blanket.</p><p>Darkness in the cabin.</p><p>Cold in the air.</p><p>A fire in her core.</p><p>His hands, on her skin.</p><p>His fingers inside of her.</p><p>A pump. A curl. A push. A come hither.</p><p>Her back. How it arches.</p><p>Her screams. His palm.</p><p>Her wetness.</p><p>His tongue.</p><p>His eyes right on hers, as he licks at his fingers.</p><p>A fire in her core.</p><p>A head.</p><p>On his thigh.</p><p>A blanket pulled high.</p><p>Teeth on his lips.</p><p>His own.</p><p>To keep silent.</p><p>Her mouth </p><p>His cock.</p><p>Such heaven. Such bliss.</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Three</p><p>"Rey? What do you do?"</p><p>"I'm a mechanic."</p><p>She can never be silent.</p><p>"I'm a lawyer."</p><p>He can never ignore her.</p><p>Fingers. Tangled.</p><p>Unknown whose is which.</p><p>Unknown where one ends and where one begins.</p><p>An arm. </p><p>On a shoulder.</p><p>A cheek.</p><p>Tucked on a chest.</p><p>Blanket over laps.</p><p>"Ben, what are you running from?"</p><p>"My life. My decisions. Everything."</p><p>"That's odd. I'm running too."</p><p>"Maybe we can run together."</p><p>"I'd really like that."</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Four </p><p>"Ben?"</p><p>Heavy weight. </p><p>His head. </p><p>On hers. </p><p>She doesn't want the night to end.</p><p>"Hmm?"</p><p>"How long will you be... nowhere."</p><p>"For as long as you'll have me?"</p><p>"And what if I say I want you forever?"</p><p>"Then that's how long you'll have me."</p><p>A promise.</p><p>Broken effigies scattered.</p><p>For now it is accepted. </p><p>---</p><p>Hour Five</p><p>"Rey. my dad is dead."</p><p>"I'm sorry."</p><p>"I wasn't. Not really. He wasn't much a of a dad."</p><p>"Were you there when he died?"</p><p>"I was at work, at a court room."</p><p>"Do you regret it?"</p><p>Silence.</p><p>Heavy.</p><p>And she knows.</p><p>Somehow.</p><p>A hand, on his.</p><p>Non sexual.</p><p>Comfort.</p><p>"It's okay if you don't regret it Ben."</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Six </p><p>A bathroom.</p><p>Pants. Around ankles.</p><p>Panties shoved to the side.</p><p>A cock deep inside her.</p><p>Scratching at her walls.</p><p>She was so full. Stretched. Burning. </p><p>"Rey, fuck-"</p><p>"It's good."</p><p>Forehead on his shoulder.</p><p>Smelling him.</p><p>Arms around him.</p><p>Holding him.</p><p>Pulling him. </p><p>As close as she can.</p><p>"It's really good."</p><p>Lips. </p><p>On hers.</p><p>Eyelids flutter.</p><p>"Ben. I think I'm in love with you." </p><p>---</p><p>Hour Seven </p><p>His head. </p><p>Her lap. </p><p>Her hands.</p><p>His hair. </p><p>"I was an orphan."</p><p>He stills. </p><p>His eyes. </p><p>On hers. </p><p>"I am an orphan. But I wasn't alone for a while. So... that's why. It's tough. For me. No one's loved me. I was... always alone."</p><p>"You're not alone.Rey."</p><p>A promise.</p><p>"Neither are you. Ben."</p><p>And another.</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Eight</p><p>"Rey. We should sleep."</p><p>A whisper. </p><p>In darkness.</p><p>Her screen's faint glow on their faces. </p><p>"Will you hold me Ben?"</p><p>She's tucked against a chest. </p><p>Arms wrap around his waist. </p><p>"Forever. If that's what you need."</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Nine</p><p>She doesn't sleep. </p><p>Neither does he. </p><p>"Ben? Am I truly nothing?"</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>A breath. </p><p>A tear.</p><p>A hand to wipe it away.</p><p>Arms that tighten more. </p><p>"But not to me. Rey. You'll never be nothing to me."</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Ten</p><p>Breakfast in a tray.</p><p>Coffee clutched.</p><p>Heads together.</p><p>"Ben, tell me about your father."</p><p>Silence. </p><p>She was growing used to it.</p><p>Not rejection. </p><p>Contemplation.</p><p>Every beat a quiet consideration.</p><p>Her question was everything. </p><p>"He was funny. He liked to lift me up as a kid. Got harder when I grew taller."</p><p>A breaking. </p><p>A dam. </p><p>A flood gate.</p><p>The carefully constructed barrier around a neglected son's heart.</p><p>"He hated the politics. The media. The attention. Then somehow, I did all the things I did. And for a while I thought he hated me."</p><p>A shushing, a soothing. </p><p>A squeeze of the hand. </p><p>A kiss to the jaw. </p><p>"He didn't. He just didn't know how to love me. He thought sending me to Luke was the best way. And it was. In many ways it was. I love my uncle dearly. He saved me from myself, gave me a new chance. He was there when my parents were not. But it still messes you up. Having your parents not give a damn."</p><p>A smile. Wry. </p><p>"I know."</p><p>"Shit, sweetheart."</p><p>A kiss. </p><p>An apology.</p><p>She melts. </p><p>"Rey. I think I'm falling in love with you too."</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Eleven</p><p>A train, a plane, a bus. </p><p>Whichever is more nostalgic. </p><p>Grand Central, JFK, Penn Station. </p><p>Whichever is more romantic. </p><p>A train, a plane, a bus arrives in New York. </p><p>An illusion is shattered.</p><p>Hands detach.</p><p>Eyes refuse to meet.</p><p>Bags held in hands.</p><p>And they walk out side by side. </p><p>He breaks this time. </p><p>"Rey, why did you follow me? After all of that?"</p><p>A hand reaches out.</p><p>He takes it. </p><p>"I love you, Ben."</p><p>And that was enough for her. </p><p>---</p><p>Hour Twelve</p><p>A house.</p><p>A mansion.</p><p>Her eyes were wide.</p><p>There was a circular driveway.</p><p>His home.</p><p>"Ben."</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"The Prince of Alderaan is just an internet nickname right?"</p><p>His silence. </p><p>She smacks him. </p><p>"It's an empty title,Rey."</p><p>"Is it?"</p><p>There's an island. </p><p>And bonds.</p><p>And a ceremonial sash.</p><p>And a tiny crown.</p><p>There's a promise.</p><p>No more lies. </p><p>"It isn't."</p><p>She nods.</p><p>Looks away.</p><p>Her hands squeeze his. </p><p>"I don't know how to be a princess."</p><p>He smiles. </p><p>"You'll learn sweetheart."</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Thirteen</p><p>Scene. A woman. Short. Grayed. Weary in grief.</p><p>Tea in the parlor. </p><p>A tall man, in a brown suit. Out of place.</p><p>The prodigal son returns home. </p><p>"Hi. I'm Rey. Ben's friend."</p><p>"Girlfriend."</p><p>She stills. </p><p>He pushes. </p><p>No more lies. </p><p>Only forward.</p><p>The woman smiles even as she cries. </p><p>Hugs Rey. </p><p>His mother. </p><p>"Luke told me all about you."</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Fourteen</p><p>Baby pictures. </p><p>A lot of them. </p><p>His ears flush red.</p><p>She's tucked against his side.</p><p>"Ben. you were adorable."</p><p>"Am I?"</p><p>"The most adorable. But hopefully the kid doesn't get your ears."</p><p>He laughs. For the first time. </p><p>---</p><p>Hour Fifteen</p><p>"Rey. Go to sleep."</p><p>Arms around her. </p><p>Lifting her from the couch. </p><p>Refusing to let go.</p><p>"Ben. You need to sleep too."</p><p>"Yeah but-"</p><p>"You can stay."</p><p>"Even if I'm a monster?"</p><p>"I didn't mean that."</p><p>"I know."</p><p>"I love you, Ben."</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Sixteen</p><p>She snores.</p><p>He smiles.</p><p>He missed that sound.</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Seventeen</p><p>He's a bed hog.</p><p>She's almost pushed off the bed.</p><p>He also sleeps like the dead.</p><p>She smiles as she lifts his arms, and crawls under to tuck herself against him.</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Eighteen</p><p>She dreams of picket fences and apple trees and her boys with their dark hair together.</p><p>He dreams of her. Always. </p><p>---</p><p>Hour Nineteen</p><p>Lips on his.</p><p>A lick of a tongue on his collar bone.</p><p>Hands gripping him.</p><p>He's aroused before he's awake.</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Twenty </p><p>"Rey? We need to talk."</p><p>"It can wait."</p><p>"I was an asshole."</p><p>"You were."</p><p>"I was afraid."</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"I mean... my dad... not exactly the stellar example you would want to have."</p><p>"So it wasn't because I was the nobody from Jakku you agreed to fuck every now and then."</p><p>He hisses. But she lets him hurt.</p><p>Those were his words. </p><p>"It wasn't just fucking. It hasn't been for a long time, Rey."</p><p>"You could have told me, Ben."</p><p>"You've been distant all these weeks, you haven't even come home-"</p><p>"I was pregnant and trying to find a way to tell you. Clearly-"</p><p>"I was planning to tell you that I loved you! And that I wanted a life with you. And then you come and tell me you were pregnant, and you expected nothing from me, and that I was basically just a sperm donor. How was I supposed to feel?"</p><p>"In hindsight it wasn't my finest moment either."</p><p>"God we're idiots."</p><p>"Let's hope the kid fares better."</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Twenty One</p><p>All of his wounds were exposed.</p><p>All of hers was too.</p><p>It's okay.</p><p>Maybe this is how they heal.</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Twenty Two </p><p>They fall back asleep.</p><p>Holding each other.</p><p>Maybe this was the way.</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Twenty Three</p><p>"Marry me, Rey."</p><p>"Ask me in the morning, Ben."</p><p>---</p><p>Hour Twenty Four</p><p>"Hi, baby. This is your dad."</p><p>Silence.</p><p>"Sorry I was scared before. I'm not anymore. I'll be good. I promise."</p><p>---</p><p>Hour 8,760 </p><p>"Say bye bye to grandma, Han. Bye, bye grandma."</p><p>He holds his son in his arms, waving his hand as the baby chuckles in his arms. </p><p>She takes a photo. </p><p>Her dark haired boys. </p><p>Her family. </p><p>All was well. </p><p> </p>
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